After paging thru the last few issues of the International Rail Journal I have come to the conclusion that this country is the retarded step child of railroading. Every page details dozens of newly opened high speed lines and futuristic integrated transit systems around the world - and not just in China. Counties like Bulgaria, South Africa, Morocco, Thailand, even “failed states” like Russia are building or already operating sleek and energy efficient new high speed systems. In Italy and France independent operators compete on the same rail lines with faster and more luxurious train sets.
Meanwhile every US originated story seems to be about endless delays, political infighting and very little actual investment. Truly a sad state of affairs for a former technology leader.
One should look at the ENTIRE picture when comparing North American railroading to the rest of the world. To be fair, one should also compare North American freight railroading with freight service everywhere else.
When the Swiss are working with 99mph freight you say our freight railroading is ahead of the rest of the world? And virtually every other country is building some form of high speed rail for passengers or just plain railroads where there are none or maintain and value the railroads they’ve got whle we are constantly making lists of lines we can do without. The US is bogged down in “heavy guage”; things need to be bigger, heavier, more solid, etc. The US is bogged down in the status quo: what has done us service til now will still do us service into the future. The US is bogged down in private enterprise investors as being the only true test of the value of a product or service: if you can’t get at least 75% of your investment back within a year, it isn’t worth the investment (sarcasticly said). The US is bogged down in anti Socicialism without knowing what it is; it is bad because my father and the Conservatives and Republicans always said it was bad and that’s all we need to know. What are we afraid of? It appears we are afraid of real progress, we are afraid of ourselves and success? Our country was not built by wusses who felt that oxen dragging wagons was a perfect transportation system, that water was the only liquid worth while coming out of the ground, that stone was the only solid worth coming out of the earth, or that spinning yarn was the only thing that could be the activity is a factory. People saw ideas and developed those ideas into viable multi billion dollar industries. Today, the mantra is you don’t work, your money does…so give me your money, go lie down on the couch and watch the Superbowl but don’t watch what I do with your money: gottcha!
You know what is really depressing? I have heard that line of reasoning for forty years since the inception of Amtrak. That mode of being mad at the rest of America ha
The Swiss and other European railroad networks are working on 99 MPH freight equipment in an attempt to be able to move more cargo over what is historically a dedicated passe
When the Swiss are working with 99mph freight you say our freight railroading is ahead of the rest of the world? And virtually every other country is building some form of high speed rail for passengers or just plain railroads where there are none or maintain and value the railroads they’ve got whle we are constantly making lists of lines we can do without. The US is bogged down in “heavy guage”; things need to be bigger, heavier, more solid, etc. The US is bogged down in the status quo: what has done us service til now will still do us service into the future. The US is bogged down in private enterprise investors as being the only true test of the value of a product or service: if you can’t get at least 75% of your investment back within a year, it isn’t worth the investment (sarcasticly said). The US is bogged down in anti Socicialism without knowing what it is; it is bad because my father and the Conservatives and Republicans always said it was bad and that’s all we need to know. What are we afraid of? It appears we are afraid of real progress, we are afraid of ourselves and success? Our country was not built by wusses who felt that oxen dragging wagons was a perfect transportation system, that water was the only liquid worth while coming out of the ground, that stone was the only solid worth coming out of the earth, or that spinning yarn was the only thing that could be the activity is a factory. People saw ideas and developed those ideas into viable multi billion dollar industries. Today, the mantra is you don’t work, your money does…so give me your money, go lie down on the couch and watch the Superbowl but don’t watch what I do with your money: gottcha!
When the Swiss are working with 99mph freight you say our freight railroading is ahead of the rest of the world? And virtually every other country is building some form of high speed rail for passengers or just plain railroads where there are none or maintain and value the railroads they’ve got whle we are constantly making lists of lines we can do without. The US is bogged down in “heavy guage”; things need to be bigger, heavier, more solid, etc. The US is bogged down in the status quo: what has done us service til now will still do us service into the future. The US is bogged down in private enterprise investors as being the only true test of the value of a product or service: if you can’t get at least 75% of your investment back within a year, it isn’t worth the investment (sarcasticly said). The US is bogged down in anti Socicialism without knowing what it is; it is bad because my father and the Conservatives and Republicans always said it was bad and that’s all we need to know. What are we afraid of? It appears we are afraid of real progress, we are afraid of ourselves and success? Our country was not built by wusses who felt that oxen dragging wagons was a perfect transportation system, that water was the only liquid worth while coming out of the ground, that stone was the only solid worth coming out of the earth, or that spinning yarn was the only thing that could be the activity is a factory. People saw ideas and developed those ideas into viable multi billion dollar industries. Today, the mantra is you don’t work, your money does…so give me your money, go lie down on the couch and watch the Superbowl but don’t watch what I do with your money: